Nikko's Lullaby
by xMysterious Darknessx
Summary: Slash. Nikko blames his brother for his obsession with singing...
1. Your Voice

**Nikko's lullaby  
**Chapter 1  
_Your Voice_  
**

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**

NikkoxStavros

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Slash. Nikko blames his brother for his obsession with singing...

* * *

"Later, Caspian, Tajid!" Nikko shouted as the two boys descended the stairs to the exit of he and his brother's small apartment. They were always the last ones to leave, Nikko having to strain each time how important his 'beauty sleep' was. They had the energy equivalent to that of a thousand stampeding horses, never quite ready to stop dancing.

"Bye!" and "Goodnight!" came the two simultaneous replies before the closing of a heavy door.

"You sure that's the last of them?" Stavros asked sarcastically. The first time they had come to visit—study—Stavros had counted at least 13 or 14 of them before loosing count. He was surprised—proud, really—that his little brother had finally joined the right crowd, the one that actually focused on their work. All the other times Nikko had brought friends home it had either been that noisy band of his of some other reckless, rebellious hooligan—upon their departure, Stavros would remind Nikko each time how important his studies were, but to his disappointment he always got the same sarcastic reaction: "What are you, my mother?" Nikko just didn't understand how hard the real world was...

"Should be..." Nikko breathed, wiping the sweat from his brow.

Stavros stepped closer to him, raising a hand to his forehead to check for temperature. It was surprisingly hot. "Studying to hardcore for you?"

Nikko rolled his eyes, circumventing that argument as he curved around his brother to reach the kitchen. All that work and he still hadn't even had dinner yet. "I'm starved," he said upon opening the fridge, "that's all."

Stavros crossed his arms. "You shouldn't be out studying in the cold all night, you know. You can study inside just as well—better, even."

Nikko shot him a look of annoyance. "There are a total of 19 of us without Courtney, isn't that against the fire safety code?" he asked, rather pleased with himself for the excuse. Examining the items in the refrigerator, Nikko decided he was in the mood for cereal.

Now it was Stavros' turn to roll his eyes, though it went unnoticed by Nikko. "Like anyone actually abides by those rules. And who's this Courtney of which you speak? A girlfriend perhaps?" he asked, though he did not truly wish to know the answer.

Fishing out the milk from within the fridge before grabbing a bowl, he uncommittedly responded, "She's just one of my coworkers."

He pondered this for a moment. It wasn't like Nikko to have lost interest in girls altogether, even if it was only for a couple of weeks he would often talk of them. And though he seemed to have recovered quite fast after Amy, he still hadn't gone after any of the other girls. Changes in Nikko's behavior like this often led to greater problems. Suddenly snapping out of it, however, Stavros growled in annoyance. "It's not breakfast time, Nikko, it's 11:30. You should be in bed, not eating coco puffs."

"Hey! I didn't get dinner, I'm starving. Plus I'm not even tired." And then the inevitable happened, he yawned.

"Was that just a cliché moment or are you planning on staying up all night studying alone?" Stavros asked impatiently.

"You could help me, I suppose," Nikko replied. Immediately regretting having asked that, after all it was increasing his risks of getting caught. He hadn't _actually_ studied in ages!

Stavros was caught off guard by this, stunned immensely. He chuckled in disbelief. "You're not serious, are you?"

Nikko remained straight faced, staring his brother down. He knew he shouldn't be getting help from his brother but he probably needed it for the sake of his grades or else his lies were sure to slip up some time. And though Nikko would never admit it, he didn't exactly hate the idea of spending some quality time with his brother...

"...You're not joking?" Stavros asked as he calmed his laughter.

"Well, my math teacher has been recommending I get a tutor for some time now—I just thought it best to go with you, seeing as you're my cheapest option."

"Heh, who says I don't charge?" Stavros smirked.

"I do, because I'm your brother."

Stavros just rolled his eyes. "Whatever, do you want my help or not?"

Nikko nodded and set down his cereal for a moment to get his books. It wasn't long before Stavros had explained perfectly each of the algebraic processes which Nikko had had the most trouble with in such a way that he could actually comprehend, whereas from his teacher he only heard meaningless words and infinite numbers.

"Wow... you're actually really good with this stuff, Stav," Nikko acknowledged with evident shock.

"I see you are surprised," Stavros observed, slightly insulted.

"You should go to college, Stav," Nikko suggested sincerely. "Become a doctor like you've always dreamed."

Stavros gave a small laugh. "You remember that?"

"Of course I do—it wasn't that long ago that you portrayed your conviction so theatrically," Nikko said, pausing momentarily to clear his throat. "'Mom,'" he began in a high, mocking voice, "'guess what I wanna be when I grow up!"

"Hey! My voice wasn't that high!" Stavros complained in a joking manner. He was amazed that Nikko actually remembered that, really.

"You just didn't hear yourself when you talked," Nikko teased.

"Yeah, well I was only eleven then, making you about six—I didn't know you had such good memory."

"Eh, it comes and goes," Nikko replied before letting out a big yawn and leaning down to rest his head on the table tiredly.

"Alright, time for bed!" Stavros announced, trying his best to tug the boy from his slumped position.

Nikko groaned in annoyance at first before turning his head tiredly. "Carry me?" he asked hopelessly.

Stavros lifted a brow incredulously. "And how do you suppose I do that? You're far too heavy."

"Just as you used to, remember?"

"You were small back then, not full-grown as you are now."

Nikko let out a whine of protest before sitting up and leaning against his brother's chest, slinging his arms around his neck. Stavros' face turned a deep red.

"Nikko, wha-what are you doing?" he stammered.

"I'm not letting go until you take me to my bed."

After a few attempts to escape Nikko's foolproof grasp, Stavros gave up. "You are so dead come morning," he grumbled miserably.

"Whatever you say," Nikko said softly as he felt himself being lifted and carried by strong arms. A sudden feeling of security washed over him and Nikko found himself truly content and safe within his brother's hold.

"Oh, why don't you ever clean up your room?" Stavros asked before tripping over some sort of amp cord, alarming Nikko and himself as they fell upon Nikko's bed, Nikko in a curled, side-down position with Stavros lying flat on top of him, their faces merely centimeters apart.

Nikko's eyes were wide with excitement for a moment before silently beginning to relax and close once more. "Sorry," he said softly before re-opening one eye. "You aren't hurt, are you?"

"No, I'm quite alright," came Stavros' soft reply as he pulled himself into a standing position. "I didn't crush you, did I?"

Nikko smiled. "No," he answered, his voice nearing a whisper.

"Good, get some sleep." And with that, Stavros turned to leave. But before he could, a hand somehow made its way to his and tugged him backward. "What now?" he asked irritably, though he was glad for the excuse to stay.

"Sing me to sleep," Nikko ordered softly.

Stavros sighed. "Nikko, I have work in three hours and you have school, we both need some rest."

"Then stay here... please."

It was rare that Stavros saw his brother beg, let alone simply ask for something. Stavros sighed again. "My, my, you are sick, aren't you?" Helping Nikko into bed then crawling in after him himself, he realized just how small Nikko's bed made for two grown men—well, almost grown in Nikko's case.

"Will you be my cure?" Nikko asked as he snuggled up against his brother's firm chest.

"We have medicine if you need some," he replied weakly, knowing his self-control was fading. God, Nikko was so fucking _cute._

"Be my medicine, Stavros. Sing me a lullaby. You know... like you used to."

"Is that what this is about, you miss the past?" Stavros asked concernedly.

"I miss you, Stav."

Again, Stavros felt he'd been taken off guard. He chuckled a little, feeling almost euphoric yet completely confused at the same time. "We see each other everyday, Nikko," he countered, his voice soft with care.

"Yeah, for, like, five minutes. I wanna hang out with you more often, I want... I want the old Stavros back."

Stavros looked away as he said this, as if the words caused pain for him to hear them. "I'm sorry... have I really changed that much?"

Nikko nodded. "After dad left when I was five, and then mom's death when you were barely eighteen. You've become so much more distant—I know we've been through a lot, but we've done it together, don't you realize?"

"I know," Stavros sighed. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that, you were so little..."

"But you helped, Stav. You did, you made it possible for us both to move on from that."

Stavros looked up into Nikko's caring eyes before realizing the forgiveness they held for all his faults and personality flaws. "Do you still want me to sing to you? You are a much greater singer than I, you know."

Nikko chuckled. "I like it when you sing," Nikko argued, poking his brother in the side. "So yes, if it's not too much to ask for, I would like that a lot."

"Nothing can ever be too much to ask for if it's for you," Stavros whispered. Nikko's eyes flickered with such emotion that Stavros felt overcome by the moment and began singing a lullaby he still remembered from long ago...

_"Just like the rain sings a soft lullaby  
I will comfort you, I will comfort you  
Sure as the sun in the morning will rise  
I won't falter you, I won't falter you  
Maybe I am helpless, there is nothing I can do  
But 'til the very end I can stand by you  
I'm never gonna fix you now  
But I will love you anyhow..."_

And just like that, Stavros' words wove a magic world to which Nikko longed to escape to—and he did so in his dreams with Stavros as his consciousness slipped away.

Stavros stopped singing and chuckled a little, patting his brother's hair. "Sleep, baby... just sleep," he cooed before his eyelids drooped shut and he, too, was whisked away into a world with endless possibilities.

_Your Voice is the light to my path upon which I tread to reach a better future with you..._

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So that's part one one of this story. Originally intended to be a oneshot, this story actually wormed it's way into my heart cuz I fell so hopelessly in love with this pairing. If it ain't your thing--the writing, the pairing, whatever!--your loss, not mine. Next update already in progress, coming up later tonite--4/19/09.

xMysterious Darknessx


	2. Your Eyes

**Nikko's Lullaby  
**Chapter Two  
_Your Eyes_**

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**

NikkoxStavros

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In which Nikko prepares a special surprise for Stavros...

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Nikko found his peaceful slumber being annoyingly disturbed by the sound of Boys Like Girls' _Dance Hall Drug_ playing on his alarm clock. Reaching over to press the snooze bar, he met with a problem... Something was in his bed. His brows furrowed before he raised his eyelids to find his brother, who seemed fast asleep by the looks of it. Nikko smiled involuntarily before reaching over him and pressing the 'off' button to kill the noise, cutting the song off mid-chorus. He had a little surprise in mind for Stavros...

Stavros groaned at the sound of the radio playing beside him. The volume rose and guitar notes blasted from the many speakers throughout Nikko's room and Stavros felt himself waking up to The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus' _Damn Regret._ It was a shock to Stavros that the name came to him at such a time. Rubbing his tired eyes, he opened them to find a Paramore poster staring down at him from the ceiling. _What was he doing in Nikko's room?_ And just as he pondered that thought, memories of last night hit him like a wall. _Did he really get that close to Nikko? Did he actually sing him to sleep__?_

_No... this had to be a dream! _Upon sitting up, Stavros beheld the weirdest thing to happen yet that morning: Nikko, standing just outside the room wearing a blotchy, flour-stained apron holding a tall stack of pancakes in hand, just the way Stavros liked them—smothered in syrup, a little whipped cream and a strawberry on top.

"Am... Am I dreaming?" Stavros stammered in disbelief. As he did so, Nikko approached, careful not to trip over anything.

"Nope. I made you breakfast, in _my_ bed, sleeping beauty," Nikko replied, failing to dispel Stavros' strange trance with just his words. Nikko rolled his eyes before waving the meal in his brother's face, the delicious smell just begging to be delicately devoured.

Stavros blinked. "Wow. Thanks, mom," he joked, quickly grabbing the plate to save it from Nikko's short temper.

"I do you a surprise and the next thing I know I'm your mother?" Nikko shot back, an eerie glare in his eyes.

"'Do me a surprise'?" Stavros laughed, teasing his grammar. "I think you need to spend more time with that study group of yours. Next topic: English." Stavros chuckled before taking another beautiful bite of the stuff—despite his appearance; Nikko was actually a pretty good cook.

Stavros' insult didn't even seem to set in as Nikko's eyes went wide with shock. "School!" Nikko shouted. "Shit!" And with that he made a mad dash to his dresser, opened the drawer and tore his shirt off as he rushed to find something better to wear than yesterday's clothing, which he had incidentally fallen asleep in last night.

Stavros turned to check the clock beside him, finding it to be 8:15, meaning Nikko was already 15 minutes late. "Do you need a ride?" Stavros asked concernedly.

Nikko paused momentarily, shocked to find that his brother wasn't completely furious with him to the point of projectiles. A few moments later, Stavros' question set in and Nikko responded, "No, it's only five blocks—I can run faster than you drive."

Stavros rolled his eyes—before something caught his eye. Nikko had taken off his shirt, exposing a well-toned, tan chest with a milky texture that Stavros found himself mesmerized by--his pancakes long forgotten.

Luckily for him, Nikko was in such a rush that he didn't notice as he threw an _Academy Is... _t-shirt on and examined himself briefly before he noticed pancake mix all over his tight jeans. "Ah, damn it all! Your breakfast made me late, Stavros, so you better damn well enjoy it!" The look in Stavros' eyes looked strangely distant to him though as he said this, Nikko noticed this but decided against questioning it.

Stavros realized Nikko was trying to get his attention and looked up to meet his puzzled gaze. "This breakfast if wonderful, Nikko—you really didn't have to—'

But Nikko would have none of it. "Please," he said firmly. "It was the least I could do for you after how well you helped me with my math. Now we're even."

Stavros chuckled as a memory was somehow recaptured by the moment. '_Who says I don't charge?'...'I do, because I'm your brother...' _"Alright, fine, you win," he said in a content defeat as he got up and out of Nikko's bed, realizing he had fallen asleep in his day clothes just as Nikko had done. As he turned to his left he came face to face with Nikko's boxers as the boy continued to strip himself of his flour-coated clothing. "What are you doing?" Stavros asked mindlessly, not knowing what else to say. Needless to say, his cheeks had caught fire.

"Changing, what does it look like?" Nikko replied, tossing his unwanted jeans into the laundry basket—which was already overflowing with dirty clothes. "Hey, do you think you could go ahead a wash those for me? I don't want the stain setting in..."

"Sure," Stavros said dumbly, silently excusing himself to the kitchen and returning once more to the delicacy which he set down on the counter to enjoy.

"Thanks!" Nikko called, opening a secondary drawer in his dresser which presumably contained his pants.

As Stavros looked for a way to distract himself from his growing attraction to Nikko and his cute, black-and-white checkered boxers his eyes fell upon a purple textbook which was turned upside-down. A sudden recognition hit Stavros. "Don't forget your math book!" he shouted to Nikko, once again peeking at the boy as his cheeks lit up. This time, though, Stavros couldn't find the willpower to draw his eyes away, he just didn't want to.

"Yeah, yeah!" Nikko shouted in response as he pulled up a clean pair of black leather pants which fitted him quite nicely in Stavros' perspective.

Shaking his head, the thoughts clouding Stavros' head quickly dissipated. "You have leather pants?" he asked in wonderment, though his voice sounded strict and disapproving.

Nikko, in a surprising rush to get to school, suddenly slipped into his shoes, grabbed his book bag, slung it around his shoulder in record time and, before he was off, retorted, "Can you think of a rocker that doesn't have a pair?" and dipped a finger into the whipped cream which lie atop Stavros' monstrous stack of pancakes, whisking a small patch of the tasty white foam away and making a sound of satisfactory as the sugary stuff met his lips. "I'm off—enjoy your breakfast!"

And before Stavros could say anything in response, Nikko was already out the door—bounding down the street. "Wonder what's with him..." Stavros said, still trying to come up with a theory as he continued to enjoy his delicious breakfast. His eyes once again fell upon the purple bindings of Nikko's familiar textbook before a groan escaped his lips. "Oh, hell no."

Nikko felt an unusual ache begin to swell within his stomach as he made a mad dash down the block, stopping unexpectedly to rest at the corner. Maybe Stavros was right, he probably was sick. Groaning as he made his way to a nearby bench to sit himself down, he blamed it on the lack of sleep he had gotten the night before--so much for his 'beauty sleep'.

A minute or so later Nikko heard his name being called repeatedly by a deep, strong voice. He lifted a brow, not sure as to whether or not he wished to be found, for he did not completely recognize the voice. Upon the arrival of the man calling his name, Nikko stared in shock. It had been his brother--but how come he didn't recognize his voice, Nikko did not understand.

"God, damn it," Stavros cursed as he pulled to a stop before the cross-walk to wait for the signal to go.

"Stavros?" Nikko asked, his heart pounding with what felt like excitement.

Stavros turned to find Nikko slumped oh-so-carelessly upon the bench. His eyes widened at first from shock but swiftly turned to anger as the narrowed to just slits. "Were you even _planning_ on going to school today?"

Nikko rolled his eyes. "Duh! My side just hurts, alright?" he shot back in annoyance. "It's probably just all of the sleep I've missed..."

Stavros immediately regretted having doubted his brother and went to go sit down beside him on the bench. "I'm sorry... That was a little assumptuous of me," he said apologetically. "Here," he said, handing Nikko his purple-bound math book, "you left this."

Nikko smiled softly. "Thanks," he said, taking the book before carefully stuffing it into his book bag. "I'll need that."

"If you get your ass to school I think it might just come in handy," Stavros teased. He took in that now was a good time to get up, and slowly stretched himself into a standing position before offering Nikko a hand. "Would you like me to walk you there?"

Nikko took his hand, stood, and contemplated this. "Have you finished your breakfast?"

"No..."

"I think I can manage--you go eat up," Nikko insisted.

"You sure? I don't want you falling and hurting yourself..."

"Stop worrying, honestly. And you think I'm the motherly one," Nikko said, rolling his eyes.

"Yeaahh, that would probably be me," Stavros agreed, taking a couple strides backward, towards their apartment as Nikko in turn took two toward the crosswalk. "Later!"

Suddenly turning back around to face Stavros he called, "Wait!" before jolting over to him and grabbing his hand.

Stavros noticed with caution the strange smirk he wore so sexy-like. The thought made his head spin a bit before Stavros mentally kicked himself for thinking such things about his brother. _God, you've been resisting this for six years—six _years,_ Stavros,_ his inner-voice would tell him,_ A couple more months and he could legally be living under his own roof, with his own job. You are a sicko, a pervert, _worse_, that's what you are!_

Nikko leaned in dangerously close to Stavros' ear before whispering, "Have a nice day," and planting a soft, chaste kiss on his cheek. He chuckled a little, "Later!"

And as Nikko made a risky mad-dash for the crosswalk to make it before the 'go' sign was gone, Stavros just stood there in disbelief. There was something strange about Nikko lately. He just couldn't decide what it was...

_Your Eyes are two glowing pools containing all of my deepest desires..._

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Part 2 (Out of how many? We'll never know!). Actually I don't yet have an ending in mind but yeah, this story is fun to write, hence the fact I stayed up til 4am just to do so. I wanna hear your response to what you think of this couple! I can't be the only one who saw this, can I?

XMysterious Darknessx

(PS. Sorry for Nikko's total OoC'ness in this chapter.)


End file.
